Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
DECLAN
Liam’s fist slamming into my jaw again makes stars swirl behind my eyelids before he hauls me to my feet. I let him pull me up, taking his punishment as my rightful payment for making that look of complete devastation cross Sofee’s face.
I never knew it would hurt this much to have her actually hate me.
I fulfilled my promise to ruin her. Although she may still be alive, she is not well. She already had a fragile trust in others. But now, because of me, that delicate trust has been utterly destroyed. I deserve everything Liam has in store for me.
“How long?” Liam roars, his deep voice booming throughout the clubhouse as he pushes me behind the bar. I stumble back, catching myself on the liquor shelf and shoving multiple bottles off, sending them crashing to the floor. Glass and liquor explode around me, reflecting the brokenness within myself. Fractured and purely obliterated.
And I have nobody to blame but myself.
When I say nothing, Liam charges me again. My hands remain at my sides as he sends his fist into my gut, knocking the wind from me in a whining rush. My back hits the bar harshly, shooting pain up my spine until it rattles my skull. I double over as my lungs search for air and my stomach revolts, attempting to project its contents onto the liquor-soaked floor.
“Li, stop!” I hear Tatum’s voice and her footsteps as she rushes to get between us. She grabs his arm and pulls him back as I shake my head and try to stand tall again. The pain radiating from my back makes it difficult to speak.
“Let him,” I manage as I lock eyes with my best friend. His muscles are tight, primed for a fight. His brows furrow harshly, and his lips are pulled into a sneer. I push away from the bar and stagger forward.
“Don’t make me ask again,” he grits out between clenched teeth.
I allow my gaze to travel to the mirror behind the liquor shelf. My eyes lock onto my reflection, but I can’t see myself. All I can see are the devastated eyes of the woman residing behind the mirror.
“Not long,” I say, hanging my head. “It only happened a couple of times.”
Liam practically vibrates with rage as he shrugs Tate off. The veins in his arms bulge to the point of bursting as he stalks my way. “You son of a bitch,” he growls before charging me again. I accept my fate once more as his fist slams into my nose with a crunch that reverberates around the room.
My head snaps back in a violent display just before he is dragged away from me. Cupping my nose, I lean heavily against the bar. Disorientation clouds my mind as my legs threaten to give out on me. My hand fills with blood as it pours from my nose in a steady stream.
“Get the fuck off me!” Liam shouts as he tries to thrash out of Ace and Hayden’s hold. Both men apparently abandoned their posts to help me. They don’t realize that I welcome this beating, if only for my own need to punish myself for what I’ve done. I watch as it takes all their efforts to hold him back from me.
“Not until you calm down,” Hayden grunts as he and Ace struggle to hold him back.
Tatum timidly steps up to me, holding a clean bar rag. I glance up at her soft eyes as she hands it to me. Nodding my thanks, I take it from her and place it against my likely broken nose, wincing as I apply pressure.
“She’s my sister,” Li snarls like a rutting beast. His face is bright red, eyes mad with rage as he continues to try to get to me.
“Yeah, well, Declan’s your brother,” Hayden grits out, then furrows his brows together. His mouth twitches to hide the smile trying to break free. “Well that sounds fucked up knowing they bumped uglies?—”
Liam’s roar of outrage cuts off the rest of Hayden’s ramblings indefinitely before he tries to throw them off again.
“Not helping,” Ace grunts as he continues to strain against the six-foot-six slab of pure carnal rage.
“He’s no brother of mine,” Liam grunts as he locks his livid brown eyes with mine. At his declaration, my stomach drops, and I feel another rip in the already ragged seams that hold my soul together. Just another ruined part of me I’ll never be able to fix.
My chest tightens as I try to stand back to my full height. My back screams in protest, but still, I make myself stand on solid footing. If I’m going to be forced to leave the only home I’ve ever cared about, I’m going to do it on my own two feet. But before he has the chance to demand my resignation from The Seven, I need to make a few things clear.
“You think I forgot she’s your sister?” I start, removing the rag from my nose and letting him see my entire bloody and bruised face. Letting him see my entire truth. “As if that was ever a fucking possibility,” I say as I step closer. Liam keeps his scowl in place as he watches me like a predator stalking its prey.
“I tried to stay away from her, tried to push her away. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually enjoy being a complete asshole to her every time I see her.” My breath leaves me in shallow puffs as I search my best friend's eyes for any glimmer of understanding. When I find none, I continue. “Since the first time she opened that smart mouth of hers, I have actively tried to make her hate me. If only to ensure that she never found the same interest in a monster like me as I found in her,” I confess.
Liam’s brows twitch, and his nostrils flare. Hayden and Ace continue to restrain him, but I can see that he’s not exerting all his strength to break free from their hold now. I step even closer until I’m directly in front of him. It would require minimal effort on his part to kick out and bring me down. And yet, he simply maintains eye contact with me.
“But it didn’t work,” I say and then scoff at myself. “Until today, that is,” I mumble. “I never meant for any of this to happen, and I completely understand if you want to kick my ass and if you don’t see me as your brother anymore. It’s less than what I deserve.”
He narrows his eyes at me, straightens his back, and slightly releases the tension he’s holding onto the others.
“But if you’re going to hate me, then you should get all your facts straight. I wasn’t just fucking your sister,” I say, placing myself at his mercy simply by uttering the words. I swallow thickly and shift my gaze from him to glance at the mirror once more. I stare into my own bloodshot, violet eyes, wishing they were the chocolate ones I long to see looking up at me with adoration. “I was falling for her,” I breathe.
A hush descends on the bar as my revealing words drip from my lips. I can feel everyone’s eyes locked onto me, but I keep mine trained in the mirror, hoping the woman behind it can see past my betrayal and hear my words for what they are. I have no right to hope for such a thing, but for the life of me, I can’t stop myself.
Now that I’ve basked in her light, I don’t think I can go back to the darkness that filled my life before her.
The slam of a door across the bar grabs everyone's attention. The heavy boots stomping our way echo from the hallway until Owen finally rounds the corner. He shoves his phone back into his pocket as he steps between Liam and me. Glancing at Ace and Ken, he nods, and both men slowly release their grips on Li.
“I can’t have chaos out there and anarchy in me own ranks.” His accent lilts his words as he chastises us like we’re little boys fighting on the playground. Li rolls his shoulders and adjusts his stance, visibly calming in the presence of our leader. “There were too many shots to keep the public quiet, so I had to call the fecking cops. Do you tink I like callin’ the cops?” he asks but doesn’t give anyone time to answer. “Feck no I don’t like callin’ the cocksuckin’ cops!” he bites, and I hear Hayden snicker behind Li. Owen scowls deeply at nobody in particular. “But I had to call in a favor with the chief to keep this quiet so we can deal with it. So put your shite away for another day and let's deal with it!”
I fiddle with the bloody rag between my fingers as my eyes trail to Li. He stands at his full height and smooths a hand through his ruffled hair. I keep my eyes locked on his expression to see if any of my words resonated. But judging by the fact that he refuses to look at me now, I think they were all spoken for not.
“Consider it dealt with,” he growls before turning his back to Owen and me. He shoves past Ace and Hayden as he stalks away from the bar, his shoulders in a rigid line of obstinance. Tatum quickly follows after him as he retreats to the opposite end of the bar. I release a slow breath before directing my gaze to Owen.
He has a permanent scowl on his brow as he looks me up and down as if searching for something. When he finally meets my gaze, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment rolling off him. I bite back a wince and shut down any reactions I have from being the letdown to yet another family. Only this time, it hurts worse because this is the only family I’ve ever wanted.
“I called your brother,” Owen says gruffly. I nod, too afraid to speak for fear of choking.
Did he call Rome to help us, or to take me back to New York?
I no longer know if I’m welcome in this home, and I’m too much of a fucking coward to ask. So instead, I toss the bloody rag into the sink behind the bar and grab the bottle of Jack from the shelf. If I’m going to be forced to go back to New York with Romeo, the least the MC could do is let me get rip-roaring drunk to dull the blow.
Just as I’m about to tear into the new bottle of whiskey, a clatter from the kitchen has me forgetting all about my wish for a drunken stupor and has me reaching for my pistol instead. My fingers are just grazing the cold metal at my back as the kitchen door swings wide, and my brother appears on the other side.
Romeo looks frazzled and a bit pale as he slinks past the doorway with Dom on his heels. His eyes search the room until they land on Owen. He points his thumb over his shoulder toward the still-swinging door.
“You could’ve at least warned your guard dog I was coming in the back,” he scowls at the president of the MC. “Thought that big fucker was gonna take both Dom and me out before we could come save your cannolis.” His frown turns into a grin that grinds on my nerves.
“I figured I’d have more time to warn Coop before you showed up at my door. You must be staying up my arse while you’re in town if you got here this fast,” Owen says as he faces the intruders.
Romeo appears calm despite being called in as emergency backup. He strides into the room with a cool demeanor and a subtle grace in his stride. His gaze wanders to the pool table nearby, where he casually picks up a ball, tosses it into the air, catches it just as deftly, and then rolls it back onto the table. The clack of the ball hitting another fills the quiet room as he leisurely strolls closer, finally standing in front of me on the opposite side of the bar. He narrows his eyes at me in curiosity.
I quickly avert my gaze from him before opening the bottle of Jack. I can sense his eyes on me as I tilt the bottle back and take two large gulps of the rich whiskey. Relishing the burn in my throat all the way down to my gut before I force myself to meet his piercing violet gaze.
“Yes, well,” Rome murmurs as he glances at me from head to toe. “We were in the neighborhood.” I notice the instant his eyes fixate on my swollen nose before he shifts his gaze towards Liam. His jaw clenches as he leans back on his heels and locks eyes with Owen. “And it seems like I've arrived just in time. How lucky for you.” He smiles.
Owen snorts as if Rome has told a joke before he turns his back to my brother. Romeo glances back at me, his eyes posing a silent question I refuse to answer as I bring the bottle to my lips again.
“Max,” Owen barks, causing all of us to shift our attention to the small female. Startled by the sound of her name, she flinches and lets out a small yelp. She turns to face our leader, focusing all her attention on him.
Owen’s hard stare drills into her as he speaks. “I need you to hack into the CCTV across the street. I wanna know if anyone has left that building since we’ve been held up in here.”
Max nods her head before putting the safety back on her pistol and shoving it into her jean shorts at the small of her back. She bolts for the stairs, her hot pink flip-flops snapping against the floor as she goes. I roll my eyes at her battle attire. Some top-of-the-line security firm we are.
In no time at all, she’s running back down the stairs with a laptop in her hands, tapping on the keyboard with nimble fingers. She doesn’t even bother to look up from the screen as she makes her way to the bar and places the computer down before sliding onto the barstool directly in front of me. Her typing never stops as I catch Rome out of the corner of my eye as he rounds the bar. I nearly growl as he slides up next to me. I tilt my head up toward the ceiling and release an exasperated breath.
Is it too much to ask for a fucking break?
It’s bad enough that the brother I chose for myself wants nothing more to do with me. Now I have to deal with the one I can’t seem to escape from.
“Want to explain your face?” he asks. I ignore him as I take another swig from the bottle, letting the alcohol quiet my racing thoughts.
I swallow as Romeo stares at the side of my head, burning a hole into my temples as he waits for me to speak. When it becomes obvious I’m not talking, he shifts his gaze to Liam and Tate. He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he tsks at me.
“You finally fucked her, didn’t you?” he asks. My hackles raise as I slam the bottle down on the bar and face him. He has a slight smile playing on his lips that I would love to wipe clean. He laughs as he takes in my expression, the sound grinding on my last nerve.
“Good for you,” he says before slapping my back as if congratulating me on some big accomplishment. Bawling my fists, I step toward my brother, ready to start another fight. Only this time, I plan on fighting back.
“Uh, guys,” Max interrupts, stealing all the attention in the room. She looks up at us, her honey-colored eyes wide. “Has anyone checked on Sofee lately?”
My heart threatens to fall to my ass as her words send fear crackling down my spine. I forget all about the brother I want to punch in the face and the bottle in front of me as I push away from the bar.
“Nobody can get in there,” Liam says from across the room. He stands up from his seat, pushing the chair back and causing it to whine against the wooden floor. “The windows are bulletproof.”
Max nods, her short-cropped dark hair swaying with the movement. “I know nobody can get in,” she taps furiously on the laptop as if in a mad dash for information. “But can they get out?”
“What are you rattling on about, girl?” Owen grumbles as he steps up beside me. She flicks her worried gaze up to him before turning the computer to face us. It takes me a beat to recognize what I’m looking at, but when I do, my blood runs cold.
There on the screen is a still CCTV image of Sofee. But it's not just any image of her. No, this is an image of her on the maroon motorcycle she has been riding lately. She has no helmet on and no sunglasses shielding her eyes as she speeds past the camera. Max taps a button, and the screen comes to life. The camera angle isn’t the best but it’s good enough to capture the moment she roars out of the parking lot and onto the road.
I release a harsh breath as I step away from the bar and turn toward the MC room. I need to see for myself. Need to see if she really was foolish enough to leave when she knows her life is in danger.
“When was this?” Owen growls as I grab the door handle and fling it open. The moment the door slams into the opposite wall, I know there is no life in the room.
“Footage time stamp was about fifteen minutes ago,” Max says as I catch sight of the still-open window. Suppressing a roar of anger, I thrust my hands into my hair as I wrack my brain for explanations as to how this fucking happened. I turn quickly and slam the door closed before heading back to the bar.
Max swivels in her barstool to face me as I reappear. “So, about the time you were getting your ass kicked up and down this bar,” she says. “That would explain why none of us heard her leaving,” she murmurs. Tatum slides up next to her as we all crowd around.
“Not helpful,” she chides her friend.
“Find her,” I snarl, looming over Max. “Now.”
“Did you shove a tracker up her ass while you were fucking her?” she snarks, causing red to rim my vision. Liam bristles behind Tate at the quip, but if Max is intimidated by him, she doesn’t show it.
“Check the LoJack on the bike,” Hayden offers. “I installed it right after she started using it daily.”
Max wastes no time as she types furiously on the keyboard. I know it’s only a few seconds, but it feels like hours before she finally speaks again.
“Gotcha,” she says with a victorious smile. The typing lulls for a second before she resumes. “She’s at the hospital. Pulling up the feed right now and… I’m in.”
No longer able to stay in the background, I grab the computer and turn it toward me. My eyes sweep every view on the screen, desperate to find the woman who hates me so I can spank her ass raw for this and never let her escape me again. She knows everything now, so she should have known not to leave the clubhouse without any protection. For fucksake, she was just shot at and barely escaped certain death. What was she thinking?
Even as I internally voice the question, I know the answer. She doesn’t care if her life is in danger. She wanted to get away from the people who betrayed her. She wanted to get away from me .
“There,” Rome is the one to speak as he points to the screen. I squint as I click on the small display depicting one of the many hospital parking lots. The image becomes larger, filling the monitor and showing me exactly what I’m seeking.
“Sofee,” I murmur as my eyes lock onto her. Her back is to the camera, but I can still tell it’s her by the sway of her hips. Relief threatens to wash over me prematurely before I see she isn’t alone.
All the blood drains from my face as I’m unable to do a damn thing besides watch the screen as Sofee slides into the passenger side of a sleek black car and shuts the door. The driver slides behind the steering wheel, but the car doesn’t move forward. The windows are tinted so dark that I have no hope of seeing anything beyond the polished exterior of the vehicle.
Seconds turn into painful moments. All of us surround the small computer, waiting for any signs of life until finally, movement draws our attention. And then all hell breaks loose, rendering me completely useless as I’m forced to do nothing but watch in horror as my worst nightmare becomes a reality.
“Is that…” Tatum mutters as she slides up beside me, anxious to get closer to the screen. I stare at it, unable to look away or do a goddamn thing as Sofee falls out of the car onto the unrelenting pavement below. One tinted window rolls down, finally revealing the real threat as he aims his weapon toward her just as she regains her footing.
“There you are,” Romeo mumbles beside me, wonder lilting his tone.
None of us thought he was a threat. There wasn’t a single thing that alarmed us or made us think he was anyone other than who he claimed to be. Watching the horror play out before my very eyes makes me realize that this one oversight could very well spell death for the woman I love.
The unmistakable kickback of his gun being fired directly into Sofee’s back causes my heart to stutter as if I were getting shot right beside her. Unable to look away, I watch her hit the pavement again as a monster steps out of the vehicle and stalks her like prey. The beast under my skin roars and thrashes, responding to the primal threat. A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead as I stare at him towering over my woman with a wicked sneer on his familiar yet foreign face. My all-consuming rage threatens to boil over as he glances up from an unconscious Sofee, finds the camera, and winks directly at it. Taunting us before aiming his gun at the camera and firing.
A hush descends on the bar as the screen goes black, and we all come to the realization that Matteo has been under our fucking noses this entire time.
“Holy shit,” Hayden says, his voice sounding distant.
“He’s been hiding in plain sight,” Max breathes, her words echoing as if shouted from the other end of a tunnel. Owen’s lips are moving, likely forming a well-thought-out plan of attack, but I hear no words over the loud static filling my ears.
My heart threatens to explode in my chest as an ungodly amount of adrenaline fills my system, and I push the laptop away. I bolt to the MC room before throwing the door open with so much force that it rattles on its hinges. Dashing to the faux crates of liquor stacked against the far wall, I easily push them aside, revealing the keypad for the double-door safe that only members of the MC know exists.
Quickly entering the code, I step back and remove my vest as the locking mechanism grinds. Hearing footsteps behind me, I quickly turn and catch sight of Liam stalking into the room with a determined gleam in his eyes. Refocusing on the safe, I ignore him as he steps up next to me. The floor-to-ceiling doors seamlessly blend in with the wood paneling until they slide open, unveiling a cache of tactical weapons large enough to give G.I. Joe a stiffy. Less than half a second passes before we both reach inside, retrieving our tools for vengeance.
First, I yank a shoulder holster free and effortlessly slip it on, feeling it mold to my body like a second skin. Selecting two standard issue Glocks, I slam a full clip into each and grab two additional clips. After tucking everything into my holster, I pick three large throwing blades and discreetly stash them in my right boot. Standing tall, I run my fingers along a row of smoke bombs and flash grenades. Selecting two of each, I secure them to my holster, along with an earpiece and an extra mask. I quickly place the device in my ear before pulling the mask over my head and securing it snugly over my nose and mouth.
Turning back toward the door, I find my vest sitting on top of the faux liquor crates and hastily slide it back onto my shoulders. My footfalls are fast and loud as I walk purposefully out of the MC room and toward the main entrance, not caring if anyone else is following.
I’m not waiting for Owen to come up with a plan of action. I’m gutting that motherfucker and saving my girl, with or without help from my brothers.
“Get me a fucking address,” I demand, never slowing my stride even as I hear multiple boots following after me.
“You think he was stupid enough to list his real address?” Max calls out, already typing furiously on the keyboard.
“No, but he is cocky enough,” I hear Romeo say as he jogs after me. Not waiting for him to catch up, I slam out the doors, praying to a god I don’t believe in that we aren’t too late.